Oy with the Jackal Already
by AndAllThatMishigas
Summary: Rory Gilmore got an internship with the Bartlet Administration. Here is a series of vignettes of the intertwining of the characters of both shows.
1. Chapter 1

Author's Note: Tumblr has ruined me. Someone suggested a Gilmore Girls/West Wing crossover, and before I knew it, I was brainstorming. This story will be a series of mostly unrelated scenes focused on the AU of Rory working in the White House. This story doesn't have any particular date in mind. Both the shows were on air at the same time, but the opportunity for overlap isn't ideal. So this isn't necessarily during any specific season of either show. The pieces should come together here and later of how this AU is conceivable. I hope you enjoy, and please review! Also, if anyone has any ideas of things things they'd like to see, I would love suggestions!

 **Oy with the Jackal Already**

 _Part 1_

"Leo?"

He looked up to see Margaret standing above him like a redheaded specter. "Yeah?"

"Richard Gilmore is here to see you."

Leo nodded with a smile. "Bring him in."

Margaret stepped out for a moment and Leo stood up from his desk as Richard walked in.

"Leo, how lovely to see you!" The tall mustachioed man smiled and shook Leo's hand firmly.

"Richard, it's always a pleasure. Come have a seat." Leo led them to his little seating area.

With a kind smile, Richard sighed. "How many years has it been since Noah introduced us?"

"God, twenty years, maybe? That was when I was still with Cultico. You were a lifesaver there."

Richard nodded, remembering. "Well, Noah came to me and asked if I could do anything about insurance issues for a multinational chemical company. It took a bit of effort, but it was all sorted out."

"I'm still grateful. Now, remind me what you're doing in DC?" Leo asked.

"I'm visiting my granddaughter. She just graduated from Yale with a journalism degree, and now she's an intern here."

"Oh that's right, that's how you knew the Lymans. You and Noah were both on the alumni board, is that right?"

"Exactly right. And since Noah's boy works here, and I know this is Rory's dream, I called Ada and asked if she thought Josh could help out. And here we are."

Leo smiled, mentally reminding himself to call Josh's mother sometime soon. It had been a long time since they had spoken. "I'm glad we found a place for her. She's in the Communications Department, is that right?"

"Yes, she's working with someone named Seaborn, I believe."

"Sam's a good guy. Brain of a lawyer, soul of a poet. And the common sense of a ferret a lot of the time."

Richard laughed at that description. Before he could say anything else, the door to Leo's office opened.

"Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't know you were busy."

Leo and Richard both stood up immediately to greet the President. "It was a last minute meeting. Mr. President, this is Richard Gilmore. He did some work with me a while back. He was old friends with Noah Lyman," Leo explained.

Richard shook the President's hand. "It's so nice to meet you, Mr. President."

"Pleasure," Jed replied. "What brings you all the way from Connecticut? Since I assume that's where you're from. Josh never lets us forget that the Lymans are from Connecticut."

"I am from Connecticut, yes. Hartford. Though I spend half my week in New Haven, teaching at Yale. I'm in D.C. visiting my granddaughter. She's just gotten an internship here."

"Rory Gilmore," Leo added. "She's working with Sam."

Jed nodded, wanting to make a mental note to ask about Rory Gilmore later, though he knew he was kidding himself that he'd ever remember her name. "What do you teach at Yale, Mr. Gilmore?"

"Economics."

Leo saw that sparkle in Jed's eyes and groaned, "Oh god."

"You know I taught Economics at Dartmouth for many years."

"Did you? I didn't know that," Richard replied with genuine interest. He smiled at the prospect of bonding over a shared interest with the President of the United States.

"And did you know I wrote a book?"

Leo rolled his eyes. He knew where this was going. "Mr. President…"

"I won a Nobel Prize for that book."

That was the last straw for Leo. "He has not read your book. No one here has read your book. I'm still not convinced that even Abbey read that book. And I can guarantee that he doesn't use it as a textbook because absolutely no one uses it as a textbook."

Richard was surprised by Leo's outburst. He knew the President considered Leo a friend, but this seemed to be crossing a line. Richard attempted to ease the tension. "Mr. President, on what subject did you write your book? I think it would wonderful if I could work a book written by the President of the United States into the curriculum."

"It's called _Theory and Design of Macroeconomics in Developing Nations_ ," Jed told him, choosing to ignore Leo for the time being.

"Unfortunately, I only teach an introductory course in Economics, and the odd microeconomic accounting course. I'm afraid your book wouldn't be very pertinent to my classes."

Jed waved him off. "Nah, it's outdated anyway. Posner's been writing some interesting things on the subject recently. He and a few others are the authorities nowadays."

"Yes, I've read some of his articles. Interesting position he takes, law and economics. Unexpected for a federal judge, I'd think," Richard posited.

Jed nodded. "Well he's more theoretical and far-reaching, while Easterbrook is a harsher pragmatist. The Seventh Circuit has some interesting stuff brewing. Though in terms of theoretical macroeconomic plans, I still think I've got him beat."

Leo watched the two economics aficionados feed of one another's unbridled enthusiasm. It was a little dizzying.

Margaret knocked and entered the office. "Excuse me," she interrupted, "Leo, you've got a national security briefing in five minutes."

"And I gotta get back to work. Mr. Gilmore, it was very nice to meet you." Jed shook his hand once more and left to return to the Oval Office.

Leo turned to his friend once more after the President exited. "Richard, I'm sorry we couldn't have more time."

"I understand, Leo. You've got a country to run!"

The two men gave each other genial pats on the upper arm as Leo led Richard out. "Margaret will show you to the bullpen where Rory works."

Right on cue, Margaret stood to take Mr. Gilmore on his way, and Leo went to skim the security briefing that would be the subject of his next meeting.


	2. Chapter 2

_Part 2_

Lorelai followed the nameless secretary through the labyrinth of hallways in the West Wing. As she walked by glassed cubicles, she noticed a familiar face. "Joshua Lyman!" she shouted happily.

Josh whipped his head around to hear the familiar voice call his name. When he saw where it came from, he broke into a big smile. "Lorelai Gilmore! Oh my god, is it really you? What're you doin' here?" He hopped up from where he was sitting on the edge of Donna's desk and hugged Lorelai tight, picking her up and spinning her in a circle.

Donna stood up and got a closer look at the grand display, her eyebrows jumping halfway up her forehead.

Lorelai laughed as Josh put her down. "I'm here to see my kid. She's an intern with Sam Seaborn."

"Oh no way! Wait…Rory Gilmore is a _Gilmore_ Gilmore? I had no idea!"

"Yep, that's my Rory," Lorelai replied with a proud smile.

"Ohhhhh yeah." The memories came back to Josh. The trouble at the Gilmores, as his mother used to call it.

"Josh?"

He turned to see Donna looking questioningly at the scene. "Oh this is Lorelai Gilmore. Her dad and my dad were on the Yale Alumni Board together, so Lorelai and I practically grew up together."

Donna stepped forward. "Hi, I'm Donna Moss, Josh's secretary. It's nice to meet you."

Lorelai shook the blonde's hand with a smile. "You too. You know, Donna, if he ever makes you stay too late, just call me up. I've got plenty of ammo against this kid."

"Oh yeah?" Donna's eyes sparkled with the possibilities.

"Yeah, when we were really little, he wanted to be a ballerina. Isn't that right, Joshie?"

Josh rolled his eyes. "Now I remember why I never have visitors."

"And if you ever really want to get him riled up, just call him Josh-bear. His sister used to call him that and it drove him nuts. Isn't that what Joanie called you when she climbed up a tree and told you to go away?"

Donna pressed her hand to her mouth to keep her from giggling too much. "Wow, she sure knows you, Josh."

"I was four when I wanted to be a ballerina. And I was six when Joanie went up that tree. Just remember, Lor, I can say plenty about you, too. Like when we used to climb out your bedroom window to escape your mom yelling about some debutante crap? Or when you dared Christopher to drink your dad's scotch and he ended up throwing up all over the Persian rug?"

Lorelai narrowed her eyes at her childhood friend. "That's cold, Josh-bear."

Josh ignored her, hoping the taunting would be over. He changed the subject, for good measure. "How is Christopher these days?"

"Uh, he's fine. We don't see him much. And that suits us fine," she replied, somewhat awkwardly.

"Oh. Gotcha." Josh nodded, seemingly in understanding.

"Josh, Toby wants you."

Lorelai turned to see a very tall woman, even taller than Lorelai herself, walk up behind her.

"Yeah, for the Stackhouse thing. It's taken care of," Josh assured CJ.

"You're sure?" CJ asked skeptically.

"Yeah. I got it." The two stared at each other for a moment, speaking silent words with their eyes. CJ nodded slightly, and Josh broke the gaze. "CJ, this is Lorelai Gilmore."

"They've been friends since they were kids. She calls him Josh-bear," Donna informed her.

CJ's eyes shined with ideas of how to use that phrase. "Is that so?"

Josh turned back to Lorelai. "I hate you. You know that, right?"

"Well that's too bad, Josh-bear, because now I like her," CJ informed him. She turned to Lorelai. "Hi, CJ Cregg. Nice to meet a fellow tormentor of Josh."

"Oh, CJ the Press Secretary! Rory talks about you all the time. You're her favorite," Lorelai informed her.

"Well, Rory is my favorite intern. She makes great coffee. And she makes Sam uncomfortable as she blows him away with her talent."

Lorelai grinned. "That's my kid!"

"She's great. Are you here to visit her?" Lorelai nodded and CJ offered, "I can take you to her desk. I have to go over there anyway." She turned back to Josh. "Talk to Toby!"

"Yeah, I will!" He sighed to himself. "Lor, it was great to see you."

"You too, Josh. And it was great to meet you, Donna. I'm serious about calling me. I've got a million stories about this one," Lorelai said as she followed CJ away.

When they were gone, Donna turned her attention back to Josh. "Did you date her?"

"Nah, I didn't see her enough. Her family lives in Hartford, and we were in Westport. It's like an hour drive. When we were really little, her dad would bring her with him when he had business with my dad. Joanie would watch us. And then when I got older, I would go to Hartford during the summer or on weekends. There's more to do there. I used to hang out with Lorelai and Christopher. They were really close. They dated forever when we were in high school. He's Rory's dad. I stopped coming by after Lorelai got pregnant. It was a little weird then. We were sixteen," Josh explained.

Donna had a concerned look on her face. "Wow. Lorelai Gilmore is way more interesting than any of your other friends."

"You don't know any of my other friends," Josh countered.

Donna nodded. "And there's a reason for that, Josh-bear."

"I am never gonna live this down, am I?"

"That remains to be seen, Joshie."

Josh opened and closed his mouth, making strange noises of outrage. After a moment, he gave up and just went back into his office, slamming the door behind him.


	3. Chapter 3

_Part 3_

Toby read the same five hundred words about three times all the way through before he put the page down. "BONNIE!" he yelled.

His assistant came to his door in answer to his shout. "Yeah?"

"Where's Sam?" he asked in a quiet tone, trying to hide his excitement.

"With Josh."

"Get him."

"I think they're-"

"Now," Toby told her forcefully.

Bonnie shrugged and went down the hall to collect Sam from Josh's office.

While he waited, Toby reread the page again, trying to figure it out. It took a few minutes for Sam to turn up.

"Bonnie said you wanted me," Sam said, entering the office.

"Close the door," Toby told him, once more in his quiet tone.

Sam did as he was told. "What's up?"

"What the hell is this?" Toby asked, holding up the page.

"Five hundred words for the President's remarks to the American Dog Breeders Association. Which is what you asked for, if I'm not mistaken."

Toby looked up at his charmingly clueless face. "Who wrote it?"

"What do you mean?" Sam replied, feigning ignorance.

"I mean, Sam, who the hell wrote this!?" Toby was getting worked up now. His volume was rising, and he stood up to properly berate Sam. "You did not write this. I know your style. I created your style, for God's sake!"

"I like to think I had a little to do with that," Sam interjected. "But fair point. It was my intern."

"Your _intern_?" Toby asked incredulously. "Are you kidding me!? You had an INTERN write remarks for the President of the United States!?"

Sam couldn't help but smile. "It's good, right?"

Toby took a deep breath to calm down. "It's very good. Who is your intern?"

"Rory Gilmore," Sam replied proudly. He had taken a big chance not only asking her to write something but then having the audacity to show it to Toby. Rory had delivered.

Toby frowned. "Which one is she?"

"She's got the desk next to Ginger. Brown hair. Right there." Sam pointed out Toby's front window to where Rory was sitting, typing intently on her computer. She paused momentarily to grasp her coffee cup with two hands and take a large gulp. She smiled to herself and went right back to her furious typing.

"Where did she come from?" Toby asked. He didn't know the name Gilmore. Wasn't any Senator or Congressman he knew of who pawned his niece off on a White House internship.

"She just graduated from Yale. Her grandfather is friends with Leo. And Josh grew up with her mom. CJ met the mother last week. Apparently she's got dirt on Josh and is willing to share."

Toby could tell Sam was getting distracted, and Toby had stopped caring. He opened the door and shouted, "Rory Gilmore!" Her brunette head whipped around and she bolted up, her big blue eyes blinking at him. "Jesus, she looks like Bambi," Toby mumbled under his breath. "Come here, please," he told her.

Rory rushed over. "Yes, Mr. Ziegler?"

"It's okay, Rory. You can call him Toby," Sam explained gently.

Toby ignored him. "Rory, Sam says you wrote the President's remarks for the Dog Breeders."

"Um, yes?" she replied tentatively. She glanced at Sam questioningly. He smiled in an encouraging manner.

Toby looked at her for a minute, trying to decide what to say. Sam nodded at him subtly. "You ever written a speech before?" Toby asked her.

"My valedictorian speech when I graduated high school. Oh and I wrote the campaign speech when I ran for Vice President of my senior class."

"Did you win?"

Rory smiled at Toby's question. "Yeah. But it wasn't really a big deal. It was a small school."

"You know, not a lot of people can do this. And of the people who can, I like none of them." Sam opened his mouth to protest that statement, but Toby cut him off. "You I'm still on the fence about." He turned back to Rory. "I'm going to cut a few lines of this for length, because I always tell Sam to write more words than I want because he tends to come up with big passages I don't like. But when it's down to about four hundred words, I'm going to pass it along to the President."

Rory's eyes widened. "Oh my god. I mean wow, thank you, but oh my god. Are you sure? I can do another draft, if you want."

Toby shook his head. "No, this is what I want. You did good."

"Thank you," Rory replied, beaming.

"Go back to work." After she rushed back to her desk, Toby turned back to Sam. "I don't want you giving her assignments without my okay."

"I won't, but she's good, isn't she?" Sam said, smiling brightly.

Toby nodded. "She's really good. I'm gonna talk to Leo. I want her. On my staff. You've been more focused in the last few weeks since she showed up, and the smaller speeches like this one we can give to her." Toby looked out the window to where she was back to her typing. "You said her mom has dirt on Josh?"

"Yeah, that's what CJ said."

"Fantastic." Toby's bearded face broke into a smile that he tried to hide by turning away.


	4. Chapter 4

_Part 4_

Rory and Lorelai were busy putting the finishing touches on the decorations in Rory's D.C. apartment. Lorelai insisted they have a party. After all, it wasn't every day that one month into a White House internship the Communications Director hires you as part of his full-time staff.

"Make sure all the beers are in the fridge. I feel like this is definitely a beer crowd," Lorelai instructed.

"I don't know, Mom. I don't think very many people are gonna come. I'm new and I'm young and these are important people who are technically my superiors in every way," Rory replied.

"Well Josh is coming because I told him to. So is CJ. And your mentor, Sam, didn't he say he'd come?"

Rory shrugged. "I think he was just being polite."

Lorelai paused in distributing decorative confetti on the dining table. "You know who I hope comes? Donna. Josh's assistant. Do you know if she's seeing anyone? Because she'd be perfect for Josh. He need someone smarter than him to rein in his ego, but sweet to let him be his superior man-child self when he needs to."

"Mom, please don't."

"Don't what?"

Rory sighed. "Don't play matchmaker at the White House. I mean…it's the White House!"

"Yeah, but you're one of them now. So you're allowed to act like it. I want you to make lifelong friends and political allies that you can get stinking drunk with and blackmail when you need to," Lorelai said with a big smile.

Rory rolled her eyes but smiled. She still couldn't quite believe what her life had suddenly turned into, but as long as her mother was around with ideas like this, it was sure to be fun.

Outside the door of Rory's building, a couple was arguing in a quiet but very animated manner.

"Sam, I still don't think this is a good idea."

"Come on, Ainsley, she's a nice kid and her mom wanted to throw her a party. It's cute. And we only have to make an appearance, and then we can go. I'm her mentor. I have to be there."

"You're her mentor?" Ainsley asked dubiously.

"Yes. I'm going to help cultivate her talent and loyalty so she can't take my job in six months."

Ainsley gave a small smile. "Well, I don't know about that, but fine. Ten minutes. Then you can take me to dinner."

Sam grinned widely.

CJ walked up behind them. "Hey guys. We goin' up?"

"CJ, I didn't know you were coming," Ainsley said in surprise.

"Josh says a Lorelai Gilmore party is not to be missed. Come on, we can get enough material on Josh to make him our slave forever."

"Normally I wouldn't condone violating the Thirteenth Amendment, but since it's Josh, I'll make an exception," Ainsley replied with a smile.

"That's the spirit!" Sam said happily. The three of them entered the building and went up the elevator to the fifth floor.

Within minutes, the party was in full swing. A sea of White House Staffers filled Rory's small but tastefully furnished—by her grandmother—apartment. Sam had his arm around Ainsley's waist and she leaned into his embrace as they sipped cocktails and chatted happily with Donna. CJ was laughing loudly as Lorelai told her stories about her youth with Josh. Josh thankfully didn't overhear any of his childhood secrets being given away because he and Rory were having a lively debate about the new policy initiative she was helping Sam research for the President.

"I know the House leadership wants to have the expenditures, but that would undermine the whole program. See, if we give the expenditures like you proposed, the funds are less versatile. Besides, the cognitive perception of those expenditures as opposed to the refund that the expenditures would prohibit is disadvantageous to the taxpayers," Rory explained.

Josh furrowed his brow. "What was your major at Yale again?"

"Journalism."

"Lot of economic and political science classes required in that major?"

Rory narrowed her eyes at him, trying not to get too offended at his patronizing tone. Her mom was right. Josh was definitely a man-child with a big ego. "I originally wanted to be a foreign correspondent or a political reporter before I got the position at the White House. And my grandfather teaches economics at Yale. I took some of his classes."

Josh smiled slyly. "You should talk to the President. He gets a little excited about economics."

Rory's eyebrows raised in disbelief. Like she'd ever actually get to meet the President. "Yeah?"

"Yeah, he got his Nobel Prize in economics. He's a huge nerd."

"That's what my grandfather said. He was with Leo when the President came in to Leo's office and they talked for a few minutes. Apparently Leo got annoyed by their…enthusiasm."

Josh laughed. "Yeah, I can imagine Mr. Gilmore and the President getting along pretty well."

Before anyone else could say anything, Lorelai stood up on a chair and clinked her engagement ring on her beer bottle to get everyone's attention. "Excuse me, White House people. It is I, mother of your hostess, Lorelai Gilmore. Although to be fair, that is the name of both myself and my daughter. But that's a different story. I have just found out that CJ Cregg has a certain little party trick that the Gilmores haven't seen yet. And as your new friend, CJ, I demand you do it for us all."

"I don't have my iPod with me," CJ told her, laughing through her mild protests.

"I do! I've got it!" Josh announced, holding his own iPod up and rushing over to them. He had prepared for this possiblity. Lorelai laughed and stumbled down from the chair, CJ holding her steady.

Rory moved over to Sam and Ainsley while her mom attempted to show Josh how the stereo system worked. "Sorry about my mom. She's a little drunk."

Ainsley laughed. "I think she's fun. Besides, it's a party. This is the place to let loose."

"It's a little embarrassing," Rory mumbled, feeling herself blush.

"Oh you wanna talk embarrassing? Ainsley, tell Rory about the first time you met the President," Sam said, nudging her.

Ainsley rolled her eyes. "You mean the time he thought I peed in Leo's closet or when he found me dancing in my robe?"

"You what?!" Rory started to laugh.

"Yeah, this is nothing, Rory. Don't worry about it," Ainsley assured her.

Josh shouted over the din, "Okay, guys, we got it!" He pressed play and a familiar tune drifted through the room. People started whistling and applauding CJ cleared a path.

 _Did I ever tell you about that man who changed my life? The one I thought, oh my Lord, when I saw him walk in the back of that bar, all tall and lean with them broad shoulders, sweeeet lips, I knew that I had died and gone to Chocolate Heaven._

Most of the staff had seen this before at some point. But the Ainsley and the Gilmores were stunned by CJ's lipsyncing skills. She started doing a little choreography to match as she seductively mouthed the words.

 _You asked me what his name was? Well. . .'The Jackal'. . .'The Jackal'. Say. 'The Jackal'._

When she finally finished the song, the group erupted into cheers and applause. Lorelai looked around the room, noting all the different people around her. Rory was talking to everyone, laughing and happy.

Josh leaned over her shoulder. "You did good, Lor."

She smiled and tapped her head against his. "Yeah, thanks."

"I'll take good care of her, I promise," he told her.

Lorelai smirked. "She can take care of herself. But thanks. She's never been too great at making friends, but I think this is the right place for her."

Donna walked over to the two of them. "Lorelai, I'm going to head home. This was a great party. Thanks for including me."

"It's our pleasure, Donna. I'm glad you could come! And call me anytime you want to rant about this curly haired idiot," Lorelai teased, lightly shoving Josh.

"I'll do that," Donna replied. She smiled brightly, looking to Lorelai and then to Josh.

"Josh, you should walk Donna to her car," Lorelai suggested not-so-subtly.

Donna protested, "No, I'll be fine."

"Josh, go," Lorelai insisted.

Josh gave her a strange look but did as he was told. He gently put his hand on the small of Donna's back as they made their way through the crowd of people. Lorelai watched them with smile. Yes. She had done good.


	5. Chapter 5

_Part 5_

Every so often, the First Lady had nothing to do. It was rare, but sometimes meetings got cancelled or things resolved themselves sooner than expected, and she had an hour or so with nothing scheduled. Her time at the White House had been rather trying for her, as Abbey Bartlet had always been a very self-sufficient and private person. Having a staff and security detail surrounding her at all times was exhausting, and sometimes she'd go home to Manchester just to get away from everything and be able to wear a pair of jeans without the entire world panicking about the state of the First Lady's wardrobe. Of course, it was better when Jed or their girls could accompany her, but sometimes it was even nicer to be at that big farmhouse all alone.

But she couldn't run home to the farm now, as much as she wanted to. She only had slightly over an hour before her next meeting with the ambassador from Lithuania to discuss an expansion of Abbey's women and children's health initiative to Eastern Europe. The deal was already done through the State Department and various other officials, but they needed a photo op and a formal conversation between the First Lady and a Lithuanian representative. But that wasn't for another hour. And Jed was in the Situation Room.

As she often did when she needed space and her husband was detained, Abbey went out to the Rose Garden. The White House had some beautiful, perfectly manicured grounds. She wasn't much of a gardener herself, so anything she planted at the farm she just let grow a bit wild. A surgeon didn't have much time to trim the hedges, after all. But Abbey loved being in nature. Being inside so much made her long for afternoon hikes in the mountains and picnics in the fields. So she came to the Rose Garden whenever she had the time.

But today, there was someone on Abbey's favorite bench. A young woman was sitting there, crying. Abbey immediately went from being annoyed at the intruder to being very concerned. Her maternal instincts kicked in. "Excuse me…" she greeted politely.

The girl's head whipped up, and a pair of big, red-rimmed blue eyes blinked up at her. "Mrs. Bartlet!"

"Yes, hello," Abbey replied with a smile. "Are you alright?" She realized it was a stupid question. This girl wouldn't be crying in the Rose Garden if everything was alright.

"I'm…yeah, I'm fine." She wiped her eyes with the corner of her sleeve.

Abbey sat down on the bench beside her. "Now, I assume you work here."

"Yes, ma'am. Toby Ziegler just hired me as a speech writer. Until almost two weeks ago, I was Sam Seaborn's intern."

"And Toby hired you?" Abbey asked in slight surprise. Toby didn't like staff. Or anyone. Not right away, at least.

She nodded.

"What's your name?"

"Oh, sorry. Rory Gilmore." Rory held her hand out, which the First Lady shook.

"Well, you already know I'm Abbey Bartlet. Dr. Bartlet to you and anyone else who asks."

Rory smiled. "It's an honor to meet you, Dr. Bartlet. You know, you were the reason my mom voted for the President."

"Is that so?"

"Yeah. She says you can tell a lot about a politician if you look at his wife. According to her, when the political wives are too smiley and polished and housewife-y, it usually means that the whole family is just doing a good job pretending to be squeaky clean."

"Oh, and I'm not those things?"

"Well, you're a doctor, so definitely more than the Suzy Homemaker a lot of political wives tend to be, or at least they used to. But we came to see you speak in Connecticut one time, and you were smart but not condescending, and kind but sincere. And I remember we watched something on the news and you and the President were talking before he went onstage for something, and the way you guys interacted was just so natural and genuine. So for my mom, that's how she knew that the President was a good man who would do good things. And she's been right about it so far."

Abbey looked at Rory curiously. These were not things one normally said to the First Lady upon meeting her. It was refreshing. "Your mother sounds like a very smart woman."

"She's pretty great."

"Tell me, Rory, why are you out here crying?"

Rory gazed down at her shoes as she shuffled them nervously in the grass. "Oh, well, I actually just got a call from my…well he's not my stepdad yet, but my mom's boyfriend who I've known practically my whole life, and he told me that Paul Anka died. And my mom was too upset about it to talk on the phone."

"I'm sorry?" Abbey was certainly not expecting the death of a former pop singer to cause such a reaction.

"No, Paul Anka is what my mom named her dog," Rory explained. "Our dog. Well, he was her dog. She got him when I was in college, so I only saw him when I was home for the weekend or the summer or something. He came from an animal shelter, and I guess he was older than they thought. He was a really weird dog. Afraid of everything. But he would jump up on the coffee table whenever he heard my voice so that he could see me over the couch." Rory had started crying again. "He was a really good dog."

Abbey found the whole scene rather sweet and very sad. Endearing in a pathetic sort of way. She put her arms around Rory and let her cry while Abbey stroked her hair. "I'm sure your dog knew how much you all loved him. And if you got him from a shelter, I'm sure his last few years were very happy ones, thanks to your family saving him."

Rory realized that she was crying into the First Lady's shoulder, but being comforted was just so nice and…well…comforting that she couldn't stop.

"You know, I've never had a dog. We almost got one once, but Jed didn't like how eager puppies are to lick faces, so we just got another cat instead. We had one cat when our oldest daughter was very small. He liked to sit between my ankles whenever I was at the kitchen table." Abbey gave a small smile at the memory.

Rory's cell phone rang loudly, and she picked it up from where it sat beside her on the bench. Abbey released her as she checked who was calling. "It's Josh."

"Josh…?"

"Josh Lyman. I should probably take this."

Abbey nodded. "Yes, you should. Joshua doesn't like getting sent to voicemail."

Rory laughed slightly and answered the phone. "Hi Josh…oh Luke told you? … Did he say how my mom was doing? … Oh okay, thanks…Yeah I'm fine. But I should get back to work probably. Toby throws things at me if I'm not at my desk when he wants me…Yeah, I'll see you later. Bye." She hung up and turned back to Abbey. "Sorry about that. Apparently my mom wanted Josh to check on me."

"Your mother knows Josh?"

Rory smiled. "Yeah, my grandfather was pretty good friends with Josh's dad. Josh and my mom were friends when they were kids. And my grandfather used to do some work with Leo, too."

"My, my, aren't you connected?"

"Well, that's how I got the internship with Sam. But getting hired for real was really unexpected. Speaking of which…"

"Yes. Go back to work before Toby develops an ulcer."

Rory stood up and paused, smiling at the First Lady. "Thank you for being so kind to me, Dr. Bartlet."

"Well, you remind me of my daughter, Eleanor. You look a bit like Zoey, but you're more like Ellie. And I would hope that someone could be there for my girls if they were ever upset and far away from me. So I'll be checking up on you, Rory. Call it a mother's prerogative. And I'd like to meet your mother someday."

Rory grinned. "She'd love that. And thank you again." She turned and walked back to the White House, leaving Abbey to sit and contemplate quietly on her favorite bench in the Rose Garden.


	6. Chapter 6

_Part 6_

"Lily, where the hell is this DAR woman? I know I'm technically hosting this event, but does that really entail setting place cards as well?"

Lily immediately pulled out her phone. "I'll see what the holdup is, ma'am."

Abbey signed. She had been standing in the grand ballroom of the White House for over twenty minutes, watching the stewards set up. All the women in Abbey's family had been members of the DAR, and she had always been proud of her patriot privateer heritage. And the DAR did do some very noble work. But Abbey never could stand those stuffy, self-important society ladies who always seemed to show up at those events, no matter how worthy the causes may be. Ever since becoming First Lady, Abbey had been roped into honoring various state and regional DAR chapters each year. This time it was for Connecticut. And their president was late.

"Dr. Bartlet, I'm so sorry to keep you waiting. Someone took me to the Mural Room and said you would be meeting me there." A woman with flawlessly coifed auburn hair, perfect makeup, and a sharp, intelligent gaze came walking over with great purpose to shake Abbey's hand. Abbey smiled but regarded her carefully. This was clearly a woman who was very used to commanding a room, who felt no intimidation whatsoever from Abbey's title. And Abbey wasn't quite sure how she liked that.

"Oh is that what happened? I'm so sorry for the mix-up. My staff is usually much better about things like that," Abbey replied apologetically.

The other woman gave a polite smile. "Emily Gilmore, Dr. Bartlet. It is a pleasure to meet you. And thank you so much for honoring the Connecticut chapter of the DAR."

A realization dawned on Abbey. "Are you any relation to Rory Gilmore?"

Emily brightened. "Yes, she's my granddaughter."

"She's absolutely wonderful. I'm not quite sure how the White House functioned without her for so long."

"That's so kind of you to say. We miss her very much, now that she's not in Connecticut anymore. But I know this is the best place she could possibly be."

Abbey called her aide over. "Could you ask Rory to come down to the ballroom, please? I'm sure she's on the eighteenth draft and not nearly ready, but I'd like her now all the same." Abbey turned back to Emily. "Rory will be here in a minute. She's writing my speech for the event today."

"Oh that's wonderful." Emily's gaze wandered to the tables where the stewards were still setting up. "I'm sorry, are those the centerpieces you'll be using?"

"I believe so. Is there a problem?"

"Well, I'm sure whoever chose them thinks they're lovely. But that is not what I asked for. Dr. Bartlet, who can I speak to about this?"

Abbey was slightly taken aback, but she hid it well. Her aide had just returned from fetching Rory. Abbey waived her over. "Lily can solve all your problems, Mrs. Gilmore," Abbey said brightly.

"Just the centerpieces will be sufficient for now," Emily replied humorlessly.

Rory walked in a moment later, and Abbey excused herself to speak to her. "Rory, I've met your grandmother." The First Lady's eyes were a little too wide, her smile just a little too stiff.

"Yeah, she was really looking forward to meeting you. And I told her to call you Dr. Bartlet."

Abbey softened considerable. "And she did. That was nice. Thank you."

Rory smiled and turned to greet her grandmother, but found that Emily was too busy to notice her. "What's she doing now?" she asked.

"She doesn't like the centerpieces."

"Oh no."

"Yeah. I think it's best if we stay out of the way. Let's go over to my office to go over the speech," Abbey said, leading Rory out of the ballroom with her.

"Dr. Bartlet, I'm only on the second draft," Rory warned.

Abbey put a kind hand on the young woman's arm. "Rory, you're a brilliant speech writer. Knock it off."

"But I'm only brilliant when I can do drafts until it's right!"

Abbey laughed. "You'll just have to show a little vulnerability for me now. Because, frankly, I don't think I can stand to stay in there while your grandmother tries to take the chief steward's job."

Rory gave a small laugh in response. "Yeah, I don't blame you."

Abbey led Rory through the maze of White House corridors toward the East Wing. After working there for almost three months, Rory was had nearly memorized the layout. She hadn't gotten lost in almost a week.

On the way, they passed Sam. "Hey, Rory, Mrs. Bartlet, I was just going to the ballroom to see you, but I see you've got Rory."

"Yes, I do. We're going to work on my speech. But Sam, do me a favor. There's a woman in there from the Connecticut DAR named Emily. Keep her calm and happy, would you?"

Sam nodded. "Yes, ma'am." He went on his way, and Abbey and Rory went on theirs.

"He called you Mrs. Bartlet," Rory noted.

Abbey made a noise somewhere between a sigh and a groan. "Yeah, that was a campaign strategy Leo came up with early on. Apparently 'Dr. Bartlet' is intimidating and unrelatable to the average American. But I don't really mind. I'm very proud and happy to be Mrs. Bartlet. I was Mrs. Bartlet before I was Dr. Bartlet. I just would rather not being seen as _only_ Mrs. Bartlet."

Rory nodded in understanding. Ideas began swirling within her mind, and she smiled. "I need to write a new draft of your speech."

Sam, meanwhile, had entered the new chaos that was the ballroom. A very elegant older woman stood in the center directing everything. Sam put on his best charming smile and approached her. "Excuse me, are you Emily?"

"Yes, I am," she replied distractedly. "And who are you?"

"I'm Sam Seaborn. I'm the Deputy Communications Director here at the White House, and the First Lady asked me to make sure you've got everything you need."

"Oh good! You can go find someone to fix these tablecloths. I asked for cream, and these are white. They're far too formal and stark for a daytime event."

Sam was about to tell her that this sort of concern really wasn't his job, but the First Lady's voice sounded in his head, reminding him to keep this woman calm and happy. "Of course. I'll look into that right now. And can I have someone get you a cup of coffee or something?"

Emily smiled at his kind gesture. "Yes, thank you. That would be lovely. I have more work to do here than I imagined."

Sam couldn't help but notice how soft Emily's face looked when she smiled. He walked away with a bit of a spring in his step.

"Hey, buddy. You look happy."

Sam turned to see Josh walking over to him. They walked together and carried on a conversation. "The First Lady has me fetching for the DAR woman for the thing today."

"And that makes you happy? Oh she's pretty," Josh said in understanding. "But aren't those DAR ladies all old and scary?"

"Well, this one is rather demanding," Sam admitted.

Josh grinned. "Oh that's why you like her. Pretty and demanding is your type. Especially when they're a bit older…in positions of authority."

Sam sputtered in protest, unable to find words because he knew Josh was right.

"You've gotta be careful. Remember when you hit on Leo's wife? Or when you got a little too flirty with the First Lady and the President threatened to send you to the Sahara?"

Sam just sighed. "I gotta find tablecloths. Oh, can you make sure she gets coffee? If you're heading over there?"

Josh rolled his eyes but acquiesced. He got one of the stewards, all of whom were running every which direction, to follow him back to the ballroom with a coffee cart to appease the DAR lady. He walked in to see quite possibly the most intimidating female presence ever to enter the White House.

"Mrs. Gilmore?!"

Emily turned to see a curly-haired man staring at her in slight shock. She smiled. "Joshua Lyman! It's been quite a long time. Though I must say you look very much like your father."

He stood there, frozen in mild panic.

"Josh?"

It took him a moment to shake himself, but Josh was able to regain some semblance of dignity. "I didn't know you were the head of the Connecticut DAR. Welcome to the White House."

Emily sighed. "You always were an awkward boy. Smart as a whip and strangely over-confident a lot of the time. I'd thought you'd have grown out of that."

Josh frowned. "Is there anything I can get for you, Mrs. Gilmore?"

"No, thank you. I've got plenty of help here. Though I do need Sam Seaborn to come back. I sent him to do something about the table cloths, but the chief steward has come to my rescue."

"I'll find him, Mrs. Gilmore." Josh was transported back almost twenty years, when he was an adolescent running around the giant Gilmore house with Lorelai and Christopher, hiding the things they broke and covering up the mess they made. Mrs. Gilmore always made him feel about two feet tall, and yet he'd constantly tried to impress her. Maybe because her approval was so seldom given that Josh wanted it for himself. She looked just the same as she had all those years ago. Her hair was a little shorter, but that was the only difference he could see. Josh may have been a member of President Bartlet's senior staff, but to Emily Gilmore, he'd always be Noah's boy, and seeing her again made him feel like nothing more than the son of a business associate once again.

Josh hurried out of the room and instantly felt better upon being back in the familiar halls of the White House. He saw Sam approaching looking very pleased with himself.

"I figured out who deals with tablecloths," he announced.

Josh smacked him upside the head. "You don't get to have a weird crush on Mrs. Gilmore!"

"Ow! What are you talking about?" Sam protested, rubbing the back of his head to soothe the pain.

"The DAR lady? That's Emily Gilmore. Lorelai's mom. Which would make her Rory's grandmother," Josh explained.

Sam's eyes went wide with fear. "Oh my god. That was…oh my god. Oh wow." He put the pieces together and a small smirk crossed his face. "So she's the one who told you couldn't come back in the house until you learned how to walk without slouching?"

Josh paused a beat and glared at his so-called friend. "I'd blocked that from my memory, so thanks. Did Lorelai tell you that?"

"Yep," Sam replied, his face positively giddy at the image of Emily barking passive-aggressive orders at a young Joshua Lyman.

"I went through a growth spurt when I was fifteen," Josh grumbled. "And Mrs. Gilmore said my mother would be ashamed to see a ballerina's son lacking any ounce of elegance."

"I'm gonna tell CJ," Sam said with what might have been described as a giggle.

"Mrs. Gilmore wants you in the ballroom, so that'll have to wait," Josh replied acerbically.

Sam went back to the ballroom and Josh avoided that entire area of the White House like the plague for the rest of the day. He went right back to his office and complained to Donna, who proceeded to call Lorelai and put her on speakerphone, so they could all enjoy Josh's mortification.

At exactly two o'clock, the First Lady returned to the ballroom, making her grand entrance. She smiled and waved at the applauding crowd of the exact stuffy women she had been expecting. Though she did notice that the new centerpieces were much nicer. And the tablecloths matched them quite nicely.

"Daughters of the Revolution, I'm very proud to welcome you all to the White House. I want to first thank Emily Gilmore, your chapter president, for tirelessly organizing this event. You're all very lucky to have such a dedicated and gifted leader. It was my pleasure and honor to meet her today, and I hope to get to know many more of you today." Abbey smiled at Rory, who sat beside her grandmother at the front table. Rory was, after all, a member of the Connecticut DAR herself.

Abbey continued, "I've been a member of the DAR since I was eighteen years old. Just like all the women in my family, I joined as soon as I was eligible. I must admit, I've never been the most active member until recently, but I've always been proud of my heritage and the part my ancestors have played in the history of this great nation.

"In this day in age, with the past growing ever further away from us, it is more important than ever to have organizations like this one. Because the DAR isn't a society club or a debutante matriculation machine or even just a service organization. The DAR is about women making a difference, honoring one another, and striving for greatness in the name of public service. The DAR recognizes that each and every one of us is more than who we're related to. That's what gets us in the door, certainly, but once we're here, it's so much more.

"I joined as Abigail Barrington, descendant of a Patriot. During my years of membership, I've become a wife, a mother, a doctor, and First Lady. And never once did those changes affect the way I was treated by the DAR. No one treated me worse or better when I was Mrs. Bartlet than when I was Miss Barrington, or when I started getting called 'Mom' or 'Doctor' or when I moved into this house. Well, I did start getting a few more phone calls from the DAR headquarters once they got the number to my office in the East Wing." She paused as the audience gave an amused chuckle.

"I guess what I'm saying is that in the midst of our changing nation, our changing lives, and the changing position of women, the DAR has always existed as a means to celebrate and support American women, and I couldn't be prouder to be a member, and I am delighted to have you all here today."

The crowd erupted into applause as Abbey left the podium to sit at her table. Emily watched her closely with an unreadable expression. She leaned over to Rory and told her, "That was a lovely speech. You did a wonderful job, Rory."

"Thanks, Grandma. But I just wrote the words. Dr. Bartlet lived that life."

"She seems like a remarkable woman," Emily noted with a small nod of approval.

Rory just smiled, knowing that her grandmother had no idea how remarkable the First Lady really was and how lucky Rory was to have such an incredible role model to work so closely with every day.


	7. Chapter 7

A/N: Special thanks to Raquel aka LemonyLyman, for the Josh Lyman backstory :)

 _Part 7_

"Emily, would you stop fussing, please?" Richard chided under his breath, taking his wife's hands off his bowtie as they rode up in the elevator. "It's fine."

"I'm just making sure. It's not every day we're invited for dinner in the White House Residence!" she replied, trying to hide her excitement.

Richard just smiled at her. He, too, was quite pleased at the invitation. He had enjoyed his short conversation with President Bartlet immensely, and he was flattered it had such an effect. Though, of course, it was all thanks to Rory's exemplary work with the speechwriting team that had won them this evening with the Bartlets.

The elevator stopped and the doors opened to reveal a lovely but rather plain hallway. The steward led the Gilmores through to the living room. The perfectly upholstered sofas were arranged around a stately coffee table in front of a large half-circle window what looked out over the White House lawn.

Emily gushed over the furniture. "Richard, look at this table! I've been looking for something like this for ages! You cannot find things like this in Connecticut."

"I should hope not. That came from James Madison's personal collection."

The Gilmores turned to see President Bartlet coming over to greet them. Richard stepped forward to shake his hand. "Mr. President, it is a pleasure to see you again."

Jed smiled brightly and shook his hand. "The pleasure is mine, Richard. I'm glad you could come."

"May I present my wife, Emily?" Richard introduced.

"Ah, yes. President of the Connecticut DAR. My wife mentioned that she'd met you already at one of those DAR functions she hosts here all the time."

"Yes, Mr. President. The First Lady was incredibly gracious and it was a lovely event," Emily said politely, shaking the President's hand.

A loud cacophony of laughter came from the kitchen. The door opened and three women all walked into the living room. The loudest laugh came from Abbey's joyful cackle. Rory put her hand over her mouth to stifle her giggles. Lorelai was right behind with a big smile on her face.

Abbey caught her breath and came to greet her guests. "Mr. and Mrs. Gilmore, your daughter is the most delightful woman!" she praised.

Lorelai caught her mother's eye and could have skinned a cat with the daggers Emily was glaring at her.

But ever Miss Manners, Emily pasted on a smile to greet the First Lady. "Dr. Bartlet, it's so nice to see you again. Thank you so much for having us. This is my husband, Richard Gilmore."

"Nice to meet you, Richard. My husband tells me that you teach Economics?"

"Yes, that's correct," Richard replied, shaking Abbey's hand.

"I hope you don't mind if I don't ask you anything about it. I've been married to an Economics professor for thirty years and the job title might be different, but he never seems to give it up."

Richard chuckled heartily. "You and Emily can commiserate, I'm sure."

The door opened once more and a tall man in a wrinkled suit came rushing in. "Hey, sorry I'm late."

"Joshbear!" Lorelai greeted, coming over to give her old friend a hug. She clung onto him with a grin.

"Glad you could join us, Josh," Jed said pointedly.

"I was just finishing up the thing for the Black Caucus tomorrow," Josh explained.

Jed nodded. "Everything taken care of?"

"Yeah, Leo's looking it over in the morning."

Richard stared at the man standing in front of him with his daughter's arm around his waist. The scene looked oddly familiar. "Joshua Lyman? Is that really you?"

"Uh, yeah. Nice to see you again Mr. Gilmore," Josh said nervously.

Richard looked him up and down. "You're tall."

Jed burst out laughing. "Well, you're all tall to me." He turned to find his wife. "Abbey, come here."

"What?" she asked with feigned annoyance, walking away from Rory and Emily and over to Jed.

"There, that's better," he announced, putting his arm around her.

"What are you doing?" She was genuinely confused now.

"I get to be taller than someone!"

Abbey rolled her eyes.

"Though she be but little, she is fierce," Richard recited.

"Shakespeare." Jed attributed the quote with an approving nod.

Abbey's nose wrinkled as she smiled, enjoying the attention she was getting. "Alright, we invited you all here for Friday Night Dinner. We should actually eat something, I think." She led everyone into the dining room, which had been set by the stewards earlier that day.

Emily looked at the centerpiece and place settings with satisfaction. Everything was beautiful. Not that she expected anything less in the White House. But this was home to the Bartlets for the time being, and they were farm people up in New Hampshire. One never knew what to expect from farm people, no matter how illustrious their history or their accomplishments.

While waiting for the chattier of the group to join them in the dining room, something the First Lady had said jumped out to Emily. "Friday Night Dinner?" she said with an implied question.

"Yes," Abbey replied with a soft smile. "Rory and I were talking a few weeks ago and she told me about how she and Lorelai would go to your home for the infamous Friday Night Dinners all through her time in high school and college, and I thought that was a lovely idea."

"Oh yes, it's lovely to have to bribe your daughter to see you or tell you anything about her life," Emily grumbled to herself.

Abbey sighed knowingly, "I've got three daughters, and not one of them ever calls without some kind of incentive. Though I can't help but think that mine might have turned out better if they'd had you to make ladies out of them. Hell, I could probably use some debutante lessons from Emily Gilmore," Abbey joked.

Emily pursed her lips, trying not to smile. It would be rude to show too much enthusiastic agreement with the First Lady's statement.

Everyone sat around the table. Jed and Abbey were at each end. Richard sat next to the President, and Emily sat beside him, next to the First Lady. Rory sat on Jed's other side with Josh next to him and Lorelai on his other side, to Abbey's left.

"I'm sorry for the odd-numbered table. But when Rory reminded me that Josh grew up with Lorelai, I wanted to watch that dynamic for myself," Abbey confessed.

"I already told Donna and CJ a lot of stories, but I'll give you anything you want, Dr. Bartlet," Lorelai promised.

"Such as?" Abbey prompted.

"Oh god," Josh groaned.

Lorelai bounced excitedly in her seat. "Okay, how about the time, when we were really little, that Josh came over to our house in Hartford and we were playing tag and running around inside because Mom was out shopping, and I dodged and Josh ran right into one of the end tables and this big ugly fell right onto his head and onto the hardwood floor and shattered? Remember, Josh?"

"Oh my god, Josh, were you hurt?" Rory asked with concern.

"Nah, look at his fluffy hair. It just bounced right off and crashed to the ground," Lorelai responded.

Emily's eyes went wide. "Lorelai! What vase was that?"

"It was green and purple and had some gold trim, I think."

Now it was Richard's turn to be outraged. "You told me the maid broke it! I had your mother fire her for that!"

"To be fair, Dad, she would have fired that maid anyway," Lorelai pointed out.

Josh started to snigger. Richard immediately scolded him. "It isn't funny! My mother gave us that vase! Emily, did you know about this?"

"All I know is that a vase your mother gave us was there one day and then it was broken and I never had to look at the horrid thing again," Emily replied flippantly.

Abbey watched this scene with amusement and awe. Rory hadn't been kidding about the Gilmores.

Lorelai broke the tension. She poked Josh in the arm. "Hey, remember when I taught you how to climb out a bathroom window so you could escape Hebrew school and go read comic books with Mike and Matt?"

Josh turned a violent shade of red and mumbled something unintelligible.

Jed laughed, "Josh, did you cut Hebrew school?"

"He did it even more, the older he got."

"Hang on, Lorelai, you know how to climb out a bathroom window?" Abbey asked, interrupting Josh's shame.

"Oh yes. She's an expert at escaping through windows. So be aware that if she's ever in a situation that makes her even the slightest bit uncomfortable, she might go to the bathroom and never come back," Emily told them bitterly.

"Well, none of the windows here open. Safety hazard," Jed informed them all.

Rory then engaged the President and her grandfather in a discussion about a book she knew they had all read, about ancient Greece.

That left Josh with Lorelai, Mrs. Bartlet and Mrs. Gilmore. If he had to list them, these three would be at the top of the list of women who scared him to death. "So, um, Mrs. Gilmore, you look really nice tonight. I like that, uh, necklace."

Emily's hand moved to touch the diamond choker she was wearing. "Thank you. It was a gift from Richard on our last anniversary."

"That is absolutely beautiful!" Abbey complimented. "Jed doesn't get me jewelry very often, but when he does, it's always really beautiful. Most of the things I wear now are loaned from designers. Sometimes I really hate to give it back."

"I can imagine," Emily replied with a smile. Her eyes darted back over to Josh. "Sit up straight, Joshua. I know you work in this building, but you are not picking at takeout in the middle of the night in your office with your assistant."

He immediately straightened. He waited a moment for Mrs. Bartlet to continue talking to Mrs. Bartlet about jewelry. Leaning to Lorelai, he whispered, "How does she know I eat takeout in the middle of the night in my office with my assistant?"

"Oh I told her all about Donna."

"Why would you do that?"

"They asked about you. And I'd rather gossip about you than talk about me with my parents. Duh."

Josh sighed, "Of course. I forgot who I was talking to."

Lorelai smiled. "Look at Rory. She's going toe to toe with the President of the United States. And I don't think I've ever seen my dad talk to someone with so much in common with him."

"Your Mom seems to be getting along with Mrs. Bartlet," Josh added.

She narrowed her eyes. "We'll see. I don't think they got a good first impression of each other. Which is to say that the First Lady got an accurate impression of my mother and Emily figured out that Dr. Bartlet is not one of her typical simpering DAR ladies."

"I wouldn't peg them as friends. But they're both really good at making me uncomfortable."

Lorelai smirked. "Good. You need that. You get a little too big for your britches sometimes, Joshbear."

Josh just groaned and resumed eating his meal as the Bartlets and Gilmores bonded around him.


End file.
